At this moment, Huo Yueze, who had always believed in atheism, began to doubt his faith.
His adorable sister was still tilting her head, waiting for his answer, as if just one 'no' from him would cause the stars in her eyes to fall into the abyss.
As the cold wind blew, Huo Yueze felt a chill down his spine. With a trembling voice and against his conscience, he praised, "I like it... It's a... unique snowman."
Hearing this, Huo Ning's eyes lit up. She immediately took Huo Yueze's hand and led him towards the snowman: "Brother Yueze, look, this snowman is a warrior."
She pointed at the tall snowman, then pulled Huo Yueze down to squat and look at the dismembered limbs on the ground: "These people tried to bully the warrior's family, but the warrior stopped them and chopped them into pieces!"
Huo Yueze, who had originally thought these were the snowman's magic wands, froze upon hearing this.
"Oh... great... hehe..."
In the dim light, Huo Yueze didn't dare to make eye contact with the snowman he had built with his own hands.
"Ning Ning."
Huo Xiaozheng's voice rescued Huo Yueze. Finally finding an opportunity to escape from being forced to admire the snowman, Huo Yueze ran towards the car as if fleeing for his life.
"I'm going home first. See you next time, little sister Huo Ning. Goodbye, Uncle!"
Huo Ning felt a bit disappointed: "Dad, brother doesn't like my snowman."
Huo Xiaozheng said ominously: "He will like it."
Huo Ning didn't understand why Huo Xiaozheng was so certain.
But not long after, Huo Yueze, who received an identical snowman sculpture, was completely devastated.
For an entire month, he couldn't get a good night's sleep.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
After the blizzard, the weather became clear.
It was near the end of the year, and Huo Xiaozheng resumed his nine-to-five work life. Earlier, when Shen Shiyan learned that Huo Xiaozheng was bringing Huo Ning to work nine-to-five every day, he raised an objection, stating that it wasn't conducive to a child's growth and development.
So Huo Xiaozheng pushed back his morning work start time by an hour.
Even so, Huo Ning still often slept in.
The clock pointed to 9:30, and Huo Ning still showed no signs of waking up.
"Forget it, when she wakes up later, have the driver bring her to the company," Huo Xiaozheng instructed Aunt Xu, telling her to make sure Huo Ning ate breakfast before sending her over.
Aunt Xu, who had witnessed Huo Xiaozheng's changing attitude towards Huo Ning all along, was delighted to see this.
After Huo Xiaozheng left, Aunt Xu heated up Huo Ning's favorite breakfast and went upstairs to wake her.
Huo Ning lay in her child's bed, mumbling as if in a nightmare: "Mom..."
Aunt Xu approached her with concern and touched her forehead, only to discover she had a fever.
After taking her temperature, she found Huo Ning was running a high fever.
It might have been because she played too wildly in the snow yesterday and didn't wipe off her sweat in time. Thinking this, Aunt Xu contacted Xi Chuan.
Not daring to delay, Xi Chuan told Aunt Xu to take Huo Ning to Anzhen Hospital.
When Huo Ning woke up in a daze, she found herself lying in the hospital again. She tried to sit up but realized her entire body was sore and she could barely muster any strength.
"Aunt Xu..." her voice was hoarse, and she could barely call out: "Cough..."
It must be a cold.
"Aunt Xu went back to make porridge for you," Xi Chuan's voice suddenly rang out.
Only then did Huo Ning realize that Xi Chuan had been sitting on the sofa all along, with a pile of documents spread out on the table.
"Mr. Huo just came by, but he had a meeting at the company that he needed to attend. He'll come back once he's done."
Xi Chuan saw her looking a bit dejected and mistakenly thought she was looking for her dad.
Huo Ning shook her head: "Uncle Xi Chuan, I want some water."
Xi Chuan poured her a glass of water and helped her drink it.
A phone ring suddenly sounded, and Xi Chuan looked at the caller ID with a strange expression, glancing at Huo Ning before walking out to answer the call.
"Hello? No need to pay attention to her nonsense... Meet? Meet what?... Be smart, don't mess things up. As soon as the time is up, send the person away immediately!" Xi Chuan instructed with a somewhat sharp tone.
Just as he hung up, Huo Xiaozheng called.
"She's awake... Seems fine... Alright, I'll ask."
After saying this, Xi Chuan walked towards the doctor's office.
The ward fell into silence.
Huo Ning recalled the nightmare that had been haunting her recently: a vast seabed, entangling seaweed, and in the corner, a lonely girl with her head buried in her knees, calling out to her with a mix of pleading and reluctance.
"Miss Ning, look what Aunt Xu brought for you?"
Aunt Xu's gentle voice, along with the sound of the door opening, interrupted Huo Ning's thoughts.
Huo Ning smiled brightly: "Is it shrimp porridge?"
Aunt Xu's smile deepened: "Miss Ning has such a keen nose! You must be starving, right?"
Huo Ning nodded: "I'm so hungry. Did I sleep for a long time?"
"Indeed you did. Mr. Huo told me not to disturb your sleep, but we didn't expect you were sick! It's a good thing we found out in time, otherwise this high fever could have really harmed you." Aunt Xu chattered as she ladled the porridge into a small bowl to feed Huo Ning.
Huo Ning smiled sweetly, repeatedly praising Aunt Xu's cooking skills.
But this time, Aunt Xu wasn't falling for it: "Next time, you can't play in the snow like that. If you sweat, you must tell Aunt Xu immediately, understand?"
Of course, Huo Ning agreed.
After eating, seeing that Aunt Xu was there, Xi Chuan returned to the company.
Huo Ning had been lying down all day, and after dinner, seeing the sunset outside the window was just right, she begged Aunt Xu to take her for a walk.
Afraid of tiring her out, Aunt Xu borrowed a wheelchair from the nurses and insisted that she sit in it to go out.
Unable to persuade her otherwise, Huo Ning had to comply.
They had just reached the park downstairs.
"Oh my! I forgot to bring you a cape!" Aunt Xu exclaimed regretfully.
Huo Ning, feeling she was already wrapped up tightly, said it wasn't necessary.
But it wasn't about what Huo Ning thought, it was about what Aunt Xu thought.
After asking a nearby patient to look after Huo Ning for a moment, Aunt Xu turned back to the ward to get the cape.
Anzhen Hospital had a great location, with a large park built within the hospital grounds.
Huo Ning sat in a sheltered spot, the distant sunset already half-sunk, the evening sky ablaze with red. The surrounding pines and cypresses remained evergreen. A gust of cold wind blew past, bringing a bit of clarity to Huo Ning's foggy mind.
Although this was a transmigration, it was in this moment that Huo Ning felt truly alive for the first time.
"Ning Ning."
Someone called her from behind.
Huo Ning turned around.
Shi Lili couldn't believe that the person before her, with rosy lips and white teeth, wearing a relaxed smile, was her daughter.
Seeing Shi Lili, Huo Ning's expression changed: "Who are you?"
Shi Lili was provoked by her words and actions, her tone turning sharp: "What? Now that you've got a rich dad, you don't want to recognize your low-class mom?"
Huo Ning felt a tightness in her chest.
Some memories flooded into her mind like a tidal wave.
Shi Lili hadn't always been unloving towards the original Huo Ning. Before she was three, Shi Lili had treated her like her precious baby. Even when life was difficult, she didn't want her daughter to suffer. When others called her a bastard, she would tell the original Huo Ning that even without a father, she was still her precious pearl.
But people's hearts can change easily.
Suddenly one day, as if someone had pressed a pause button, Shi Lili stopped caring about her 'precious daughter'. A single strand of her boyfriend's hair became more valuable than her daughter.
Huo Ning's indifferent attitude angered Shi Lili. Her eyes turned vicious as she stepped forward, raising her hand...
A large hand grabbed her wrist, throwing her roughly to the side.
"Didn't I warn you not to appear in front of Ning Ning again?" Huo Xiaozheng suddenly appeared, his whole body exuding cold anger, his words full of murderous intent.
His daughter was still sitting sick in the wheelchair, and her biological mother not only didn't care but even tried to hit her?
How could this not make him angry!
